My wife is a Navy Officer (LCDR) and we had the same reaction when we watched the game. I'd expect that they would be too concerned about the image problems later in the career. Then again, that picture of Bush on the Princeton cheer squad didn't stop him for becoming CINC, amazingly.

After watching these games, I don't mind what I'm seeing. There is some under center but alot of 3 and 4 receiver sets. Plenty of opportunities to spread the defense making room for our RB's and Denard.

have the stodgy look to it many of us have fears about. Many looks, but most with the line anchored by TE, which I do feel more comfortable with versus all the slot guys. It also has an option read facet to it; I like the way it is installed in the offense as just part of the offense rather than the focal point of the running game. I like the fact that the QB doesn't stick out as the focal point period; I think it will put less pressure on Denard to perform, next year and perhaps will result in less red zone turnovers.

Since our AD already coordinates the FB recruiting efforts, he may well offer to become the next Defensive Coordinator at the University of Michigan. The unit would no longer use the term defense, instead the group would be known as Dave Brandon's Boys.

The defense was definitely well prepared for what Navy was going to do. They also looked disciplined and fundamentally sound - very few missed tackles.

The thing that made the biggest impression on me was that the SDSU defense shut Navy out in the second half. Effective 2nd half adjustments are something we haven't seen in a long time. Hopefully, that's something Hoke will be able to do effectively next year.

If you can get all 11 guys to execute their assignments almost all of the time, that's going to win a lot, regardless of schemes, etc., even without the very best talent. Add players with top-end athletic ability and now your are talking about championships.

Don't read too much into the final score. Navy played poorly. First, the Army-Navy game was pushed back a week to December 11th so as not to compete with all the conference championships on tv. Second, the Poinsettia Bowl was December 23rd, so Navy only had 11 days in which to take advantage of the extra 15 practices a bowl game allows. Third, Navy had finals the week of December 13th-17th. Navy players take exams as scheduled like every other midshipman. The football team practiced at 6:30 each morning, as it was the only time all the players were available at the same time. Also, most of the Navy coaches were out recruiting that week.

Not making excuses for Navy, but trying to make the point that SDSU was not playing them at their best.

However, it's also not full of the conservative play calling that bothered many people during the end of the Carr era. As was already mentioned, SDSU came out passing from deep in their own territory. They also didn't seem afraid to throw the ball downfield.

I liked the variety of offensive sets and the inclusion of the zone read, but I really liked the use of the running game to set up the pass. The play action was very effective; on a number of the pass plays, there wasn't a defender within 5 yards of the receiver. With the talent we have at WR, we could see those guys put up some gaudy numbers. We need someone to step up at RB and prove they can run between the tackles, though. It certainly helps when you have a guy who can go for 225+, as Hillman did in that game.

Addtiionally, for those of you w/ XBOX Live (or your computer if you prefer) you can watch the game on ESPN3. Discovered this last night, never really used the ESPN3 functionality until now, but now that I cancelled cable, I have to resort to this for my sports needs.

Well, they do lose their top two receivers, both of whom went over 1,000 yards this year, and were the guys tearing up Navy (in the pass game at least), so there's that. But yea, it's going to be a tough game. Ronnie Hillman (RB) is a damn beast (and he'll only be a sophmore) and Lindley (QB) will be a senior.

I noticed that Hoke doesn't have a headset (although he seems to have someone following him around constantly with one). Is it common for the head coach to not wear a headset during games? I don't recall ever noticing this before with any coach.

Edit: Upon further review, he does wear one sometimes. Not as odd as I thought.

QB depth problems????? RR was reluctant to RS Devin last year in spite of amazing denard must have looked running around in shorts in spring practice, meaning the 5 star hype was not just hype. Whether or not Tate makes is back on the team, I'm sure Hoke is smart enough to know you can't go into a season with only 2 QB's on the roster and should be able to sign SOMEBODY who will not have to play this year, and probably never will.

I saw this game on ESPN 3 earlier. I must say that at the very least we shouldn't see our offense revert to Carr era play calling. I saw the 06 MSU game in the other thread and we literally had one running play to either side that wasn't a draw. If Carr had utilized a more creative offense......

I must say that at the very least we shouldn't see our offense revert to Carr era play calling.

Revert? Frankly, I don't think we ever really left it. Calvin Magee's play sequencing was positively DeBordian much of the time. First down: inside handoff. Second down: QB iso or sweep. Third down: little hitch/curl pattern.

Watching Michigan play, and then teams like Auburn, was enlightening. It seems to me that RR's own offensive evolution kind of stopped around 2005 and that he hasn't really pulled out any new tricks. Chip Kelly, Gus Malzahn and others have taken what RR started and gone further, using more formations, personnel packages and a greater play selection. The game keeps on evolving and the best coaches have to keep changing things up.

Exactly my thoughts this entire season. Even when we were running up the score on BG, I thought our offensive scheme/playcalling was very vanilla. Over the three years, I was surprised how little RR's offense employed misdirection or other attempts to deceive the defense. I had been anticipating more creativity than what I saw. The comments by the Mississippi St. defenders after the Gator Bowl about how they didn't see anything that was different from what they'd seen on film brought back unpleasant memories of USC defenders saying the exact same thing after our beatdowns in the 2004 and 2007 Rose Bowls.

What's that thing called when Navy snaps the ball back 15 yards and the guy kicks it, giving SDSU the ball? We should have tried that last year.

I don't see why people think we're going to take a step back offensively next year. We have the personnel to run this offense. And DR's running can be helped a lot with the downfield passing game if the safeties need to respect the deep ball more than they did this year.

Shear brilliance on a level hardly fathomable today, what with Oregon's success forcing teams to adopt a similar point-a-minute strategy.

Nice teamfinish though against Florida, but the offensive play calling in that game pissed me off. Not because it was bad, but because Debord had those formations and plays and kept it in his back pocket through losses to App State, Oregon, Wisconsin and Ohio State for no damn reason.

I like the multiple power looks. A couple long passes set up w/PA. It sucked those LB's right up and made for an easier completion. This looks nothing like Carr's offense, unless you count the Florida game, where they opened up the play book and voila'. I like the two TE sets for max pass protect w/ a straight 3-7 step drop. Not too fancy, but diverse and efficient.

Defense was also coached well, because they were in the right spots reacting to what they had been prepared for. That Navy offense is a dynamic monster that's very hard to stop. Even ND's athletes couldn't do it. Well done SDS, I certainly hope that's what Michigan's team looks like. SDS QB looks like a Mini me version of Big Ben, he has a nice arm.